EPL side Man City has "been joined by a leading Bundesliga club and another British club in registering their interest in taking over" A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers, according to Dominic Bossi of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD.
The news comes just weeks after Football Federation Australia "asked for expressions of interest in the A-League grand finalists," putting a price of approximately A$15M ($13.6M) on any sale. At least three high-profile European teams "have formally expressed an interest in buying the FFA-owned club and have made preliminary inquiries about the terms of sale" (SMH, 8/27). The AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW's John Stensholt reported FFA "wants to sell the team to private interests and has employed investment bank UBS to find a buyer." UBS "has created a 50-page information memorandum on the Wanderers, including details about the club’s finances, membership, sponsors and key staff." The FFA "hopes to sell the club by the beginning of the next A-League season in October." The club "has signed more than 14,500 members for the upcoming season, a figure that it may have to cap given its home ground at Parramatta Stadium has a capacity of about 20,000" (AFR, 8/26).